Erotic Nude Photography Books

This third collection of nude portraiture from award winning fashion photographer Marc Baptise offers dreamy and stunning examinations in color and black and white of the female nude. The images provide an odd juxtaposition as each is a careful study of form and shape, and at the same time most of the shots reveal something individual and intimate about the particular model. I have to agree with the dust jacket description of Baptiste’s nudes as “quietly erotic” even if the claim that the women featured are “of all kinds” doesn’t quite hold up under scrutiny. $45

Pornscapes documents a six year period in the sexual relationship of the photographer, Pierre Radisic and his partner Anne Bernard. I found it hard to take my eyes off the images, even though many of them are extreme, and certainly not for the faint of heart. At their best, the photos in Pornscapes simultaneously jar and arouse; often forcing the viewer to take a minute and orient themselves in order to figure out what exactly is happening, who is doing what, with whom, and with what body parts. The end result is intimate, passionate, and pornographic in the best sense of the term. $25

There is nothing quite like the work of Czech photographer Jan Saudek. His photographs are carefully staged tableaux of a fantastical assortment of character, and all are hand-tinted, revealing a secret sensual and magical world underneath the visible image. Far from pornographic, these images are like sensual dreams that we wake up from just barely able to remember, but whose images stay with us throughout the day. Taschen, 448 pages.

Dian Hanson may be the greatest living pornographer. Her unabashed eye for the detail of what is sexy, and her passion for getting behind what people find arousing always offers us a fresh perspective on pornography. With the Big Book of Breasts Hanson explores our cultural obsession with breasts through three decades of natural breast focused nude photography. From World War II Bosom-Mania that spawned Russ Meyer, Howard Hughes’s The Outlaw and Frederick’s of Hollywood, Hanson guides us over, around, and in between the world’s most spectacular natural curves. Taschen Books, 396 pages.

The incomparable Dian Hanson, a 25 year veteran editor of men’s magazines, is now the sex book editor at Taschen, and has been working on this monumental five volume project for many years. Each volume covers a historical period from pre-war to the 1970s. These books are equal parts erotic romp and historical artifact. $50 per volume

It’s hard to be neutral about the photography of Nobuyoshi Araki. Some consider him little more than a misogynist pornographer, others consider him the best, and best-known, living erotic photographer. His pictures are stark and sexual, blatantly objectifying as well as curiously adoring. This collection offers a comprehensive overview of Araki’s prolific 40-year career featuring interviews and essays as well as a large selection of Araki’s writings, translated into English for the first time. Phaidon Press, 720 pages.

Playboy: Brunettes , Playboy: Blondes , and Playboy: Redheads
Selections from the best of Playboy’s archives from the fifties, sixties and seventies, these three collections, themed by hair color, offer both a time capsule and an homage to the magazine that used to strive to do porn that wasn’t porn. It sort of makes you long for the days when Playboy wasn’t edited to look like Maxim, and nudity aside, these collections are worth it for the amazing hair styles alone! Chronicle Books, 128 pages.

There is a serious lack of sex photography featuring cute men. For the past five years Butt Magazine has offered just that, and much more. As filmmaker Bruce LaBruce notes in his forward “Butt has single-handedly pioneered the notion of a smart, literate gay magazine yet also manages to be very dirty.” Regardless of your sexual orientation, I highly recommend this collection to anyone who finds guys hot - and guys who think, hotter. Taschen Books, 560 pages.

Featuring the work of 78 photographers from around the world, all celebrating the female form through nude photography, this is a perfect introduction to nude photography for the interested but shy beginner. As with all Mammoth books, it’s also a great bargain with lots of images for one low price. Carroll & Graf, 544 pages.

"Dangerously sexy" is the best way I can describe this collection of Ellen von Unwerth’s photos. Long known for her provocative work in the fashion world, here she creates a sadomasochistic story, told solely in photographs, which delves into sexual obsession. Twin Palms Publishers, 218 pages.